Industrial wet battery cells typically include a rectilinear cell housing, a plurality of electrode plates with the housing and a pair of terminals protruding from the housing. The cell housing also contains an amount of sulfuric acid electrolyte sufficient to cover the electrode plates. The cells typically have a small horizontal cross sectional area e.g. to 4".times.6" but are relatively tall, e.g. 1 to 2 feet. Typically, the cell housing is made up of a thick bottom wall, four relatively thin side walls and a top. An electrolyte orifice is typically defined in the top of the housing for adding electrolyte to the cell housing. The liquid head provided by the column of sulfuric acid electrolyte within the cell housing causes the side walls of an unsupported cell to bulge outwardly.
A typical battery cell is quite heavy, i.e. on the order of 50 to 300 pounds, and very awkward to handle. It is, however, necessary to handle full cells on occasion, e.g. to transfer cells into an apparatus in which the cell is to be used to supply power, e.g. into the battery box of a fork lift truck. In those situations the cells are typically handled with a lifting device, i.e. a chain lift and apparatus which grips the terminals of the cell. The process is awkward and dangerous to the extent that it involves potential spillage of the extremely corrosive electrolyte.
The transfer operation is further complicated by the above noted dimensional changes in an unsupported cell housing that are brought about by the pressure exerted by the electrolyte. The apparatus in which the cell is used typically provide support to the thin sidewalls of the cell housing to prevent them from bulging. It is very difficult to transfer cells into a tight fitting container since the bulging of unsupported sidewalls hinders insertion of a cell into the tight fitting container. Electrolyte may be ejected from the cell when the bulging sidewalls are compressed to fit the cell into the tight fitting container.
A process for transferring a battery cell into a container is also disclosed. The process includes steps of gripping the terminals of the battery, reducing pressure within the battery by withdrawing fluid electrolyte from the cell housing, lifting the cell while maintaining the reduced pressure within the cell housing and placing the cell in the container while maintaining the reduced pressure within the cell housing.